The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-05-15
POINTS ON HOTEL DETECTIVES.
They are Worse Than the Private De-
tectiyeS


tectives.
NEW YORK, May 14.-One of the nulsances
about the leading hotels of New York is the
hotel detective. With one or two excep-
tons he is considerably worse than the aver
age private detective. On account OF beng
connected with the hotel he has great facill-
ties for making money in doubtful sort OF
way. | heard a story of one Of these fel-
lows, who has just been discharged, ana IL
convinced me that the hotel detective can
be very dangerous person to deal with, II
he is devoid of principle. Being connected
with the hotel, he naturally learns all about
the business of the guests, and has little
difficulty i'll getting acquainted with them.
There is hardly an officer OF the
hotels who make 50 much money
as these detectives. Outside Of their
duties in looking out for the at
fairs of the hotels, they are allowed to act
as guides in showing guests the dark ways
of city life. Nearly every night party OF
gentlemen get together who are DESTROYS OF
seeing the city by gaslight and they engage
the detective to pilot them about For this
he is paid very literally by the gentlemen
and he is also paid something by the owners
OF the places where be takes them. This, OF
course, is part Of his business, but it gives
him an opportunity to levy blaclZmail should
he see fit. ! know one detective who es-
corted very nice old gentleman, who is one
of the largest dry goods merchantsin pros
porous Southern city, to the Arion ball few
months ago. The old gentleman went SIM
ply out of curiosity At home he is very
pious and is the superintendent OF
a Sunday school. In fact, he is con-
sidered fanatic on religion. After
getting to the ball he was persuaded
by the detective to drink little wine. Not
being used to it, it went to his head, and
the old man possibly did one or two silly
things, par ticularly for a Sunday school
superintendent. On his way home he re-
marked to the detective that he would not
have anyone in his town know that he went
to the ball for $1,000. Only a short time
after his return home he got message from
the detective asking for the loan of $500.
1t was also intimated to him that should the
request be refused an account of his con-
duct at the ball would be made public at
his home. The merchant was weak enough
to send his check for $500. This detective
has been guilty of number of similar
things, which were nothing short of black
mail
A Montana cattle king who had been
spending the winter at the hotel was his vic
tim for over 81 600. Then, another trouble
with some of these men is that they presume
upon their acquaintance While they are
out with party as guide they are shown
some courtesy, and for this reason they as
sumo that they are ON an equality with any
OF the guests. A short time ago detective
came to me and told me of very important
piece of news He told me he would give it
to me on one condition, and that was |
should publish a paragraph to the effect that
he and a very prominent United States
Senator were seen promenading on Broad
way arm in arm | could see 10 objection
and promised. l afterward asked him what
his object was and he told me that it gave
him standing with other men, from the fact
that if it were known that he was on
intimate terms with prominent men
other people in the hotel would
not be ashamed to be seen
talking with him. Another thing that
nearly all the detectives are given to is
taking bad debts for collection. They will
get debt, which in many cases is not a just
one, on some well-known society man who
frequents the hotel at which they are en-
ployed Every time the debtor comes into
| the hotel the detective is sure to dun him
and make it SO disaereeablea fer him that he
| is ashamed to come into the hotel. Only
| the other day the proprietors of the Windsor
| Hotel were sued for $4,000 damages on ac-
| count of a case like this. The detective
| there was given a debt to collect from a
well-known society man who spent great
| deal of his time in the Windsor. He claimed
the bill was not a just one and refused to
pay it. Nevertheless the detective, he
claims, dunned him every time he came into
| the hotel, and finally elected him publicly
| from the place. Their, when the young mans
father came to the hotel for the purpose OF
complaining to the proprietors, the detec-
| tive put him out as he had his SON.
| HARRY WALKER